By Xinhua,
Gaza : Hamas’ reservations on an Egyptian plan for launching a national Palestinian dialogue did not involve essential articles of the Egyptian draft, Palestinian sources said Thursday.
“Hamas doesn’t oppose vital points in the Egyptian paper but it has reservations on some side clauses,” the sources told local news agency of Maan.
The Egyptian draft requires the Palestinians to form a unity government, reform their warring security services and hold elections to overcome the crisis.
The national Palestinian dialogue is to start on Nov. 9 in Cairo where all the Palestinian factions will meet to seek solutions to a 16-month-old standoff between Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party.
But according to the sources, Hamas rejects to hold presidential and parliamentary elections at the same time because it means “that President Abbas’ term, which should end next January, would be extended.”
Hamas defeated Fatah in parliamentary elections in 2006 and the term of the Hamas-dominated parliament expires in 2010.
However, “Hamas will accept to extend Abbas’ term if an agreement on the time of the presidential elections and the formation of a national unity government is reached,” the sources added.
As for the reform of the security services, Hamas demands that the overhauling of the security services should engage the Hamas-controlled apparatuses in Gaza Strip and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) forces dominated by Fatah in West Bank.
Hamas took over Gaza Strip by force last year after routing pro-Abbas forces and ousting his Fatah movement. The Gaza takeover had caused a political separation with West Bank where the PNA leadership is based.
Meanwhile, Hamas also has reservation on forming “a unity government that overcomes siege on the Palestinian territories.” For Hamas, this means the government would accept Israeli and western demands, abide by peace agreements, give up violence and recognize Israel.
After Hamas took over Gaza, Abbas withdrew his movement from a Hamas-led coalition and fired the government, but Hamas rejected the decisions and kept ruling Gaza Strip. Israel and the international community reject to deal with Hamas administration in Gaza and only deal with the caretaker government that Abbas formed in West Bank after his forces lost Gaza.